LONG BEACH >> Long Beach City Prosecutor Doug Haubert confirmed his office is looking into possible irregularities involving the April 8 election.

“There is an inquiry based on statements given to my office from people at the City Clerk’s Office,” Haubert said Saturday.

Sources said that about 20 Cambodian voters were transported by bus to the City Clerk’s Office by Vice Mayor Robert Garcia’s campaign on or around March 21 to cast early ballots in the primary election. Busing eligible voters to cast an early ballot or on Election Day is not illegal.

According to City Clerk Larry Herrera, some of them were not registered and a representative of the Garcia campaign asked if they could vote provisionally that day.

Herrera responded that voters can only cast a provisional ballot on Election Day, and a disagreement ensued.

No one who was unregistered was permitted to vote, Herrera said.

Provisional voting ensures that no properly registered voter is denied their right to cast a ballot if that voter’s name is not on the polling place roster due to a clerical, processing, computer or other error, according to the California secretary of state’s website. It also ensures no voter, either intentionally or unintentionally, votes twice.

Garcia campaign consultant and spokesman Eric Hacopian denied any wrongdoing, saying the campaign “energized registered voters from across Long Beach to get involved in the electoral process. We have always done so within the confines of the law. The clerk’s office has done a great job, and we look forward to the next election.”

After the April 8 primary, Garcia finished with more than 25 percent, sending him to a June 3 runoff against businessman Damon Dunn, who received 22.3 percent of the vote.

Dunn said Saturday that the allegations “appear to be very serious” but said he was not ready to make a public comment.

“Next week, on Monday, I will meet with my legal team and we will figure out how to respond,” Dunn said. “The only thing that matters is that we have a fair and honest election.”

Haubert said he spent last week gathering information on the incident and still had more to look into.

Beatriz E. Valenzuela is an award-winning journalist who’s covered breaking news in Southern California since 2006 and has been on the front lines of several national and international news events. She’s worked for media outlets serving Southern California readers covering education, local government, entertainment and all things nerd including comic book culture and video games. She’s an amateur obstacle course racer, constant fact-checker, mother of three and lover of all things adorable.